DHAKA: Bosnia is bracing for another day of anti-government demonstrations over unemployment and political inertia, following Thursday`s violent riots which left more than 130 people injured.

Authorities in the town of Tuzla, the hotspot of violence that began on Tuesday, ordered schools to cancel classes on Friday.

Tuzla`s protests spread to other parts of the country on Thursday and have morphed into widespread discontent in an election year about unemployment and rampant corruption.

Further demonstrations are expected to be held in Sarajevo and other cities on Friday.

Police on Thursday fired teargas to drive back several thousand people throwing stones, eggs and flares at a local government building in Tuzla, once the industrial heart of Bosnia`s north which has been hit hard by factory closures in recent years.

A strong police contingent dispersed the crowd in the evening after protesters started rioting, smashing shop windows and setting garbage bins on fire, a Tuzla police spokesman said.

The town`s emergency service said it admitted 104 police officers who were seriously hurt, and 30 civilians with lighter injuries.

Hundreds of people turned out in solidarity protests in the capital Sarajevo and the towns of Zenica, Bihac and Mostar. In Sarajevo, protesters clashed with police who had blocked traffic in the city centre. Four officers were taken to hospital, officials said.

Source: aljazeera.com
BDST: 1511 HRS, FEB 07, 2014